Reversible hinges for refrigerator door



c. G. FELLWOCK REVERSIBLE HINGES FOR REFRIGERATOR DOOR June 25, 1968 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 14, 1966 INVENTOR CHARLES G. FELLWOCK I U/dig/Au, 9 M0 ATTORNEYS June 25, 1968 c. e. FELLWOCK REVERSIBLE HINGESFOR REFRIGERATOR DOOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 14, 1966 FIG. IA

June 25, 1968 c. G. FELLWOCK 3,389,424

REVERSIBLE HINGES FOR REFRIGERATOR DOOR Filed Nov. 14, 1966 4Sheets-Sheet :5

FIG; 3 FIG. 5

June 25, 1968 c, woc I 3,389,424

REVERSIBLE HINGES FOR REFRIGERATOR DOOR Filed Nov. 14, 1966 4Sheets-Sheet 4 at. I :3 j

FIG. 8

United States Patent M 3,389,424 REVERSIBLE HINGES FOR REFRIGERATOR DOORCharles G. Fellwock, Evansville, Ind., assignor to WhirlpoolCorporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 14, 1966, Ser. No.593,802 9 Claims. (Cl. 16170) This invention relates to hinge systemsand in particular to a hinge system for selectively mounting a door on acabinet wall means for either left or right-hand swinging. In oneconventional form of cabinet construction, such as used inrefrigerator-freezers, the front openings are selectively closed by anumber of vertically hinged cupboard type doors. It is conventional toprovide in such apparatus either left-hand opening or right-hand openingdoors in accordance with the arrangement of the room in which it isplaced. Heretofore, the purchaser was required to order the apparatuswith the desired type of swinging arrangement. If, however, theapparatus was subsequently used in an arrangement other than that forwhich it was originally acquired, the swinging arrange- ,rnent might notbe of the proper hand. Further, it was necessary for the distributor orretailer to maintain a stock of both hand apparatuses which in all otherrespects were similar, thus requiring an undesirable substantialduplication of inventory.

Thus, it may be seen that it would be highly advantageous to providesuch apparatus wherein the doors may be selectively arranged to be swungfrom either the left side or the right side with the selectivity beingunder the control not only of the dealer, but also by the ultimate user.For example, the ultimate user may purchase a refrigerator-freezerembodying the present invention in a right-hand door arrangement to suita certain kitchen layout. He may later move or remodel his kitchen orsimply wish to change his kitchen layout. He may then find that heeither desires or perhaps requires a different door arrangement on hisrefrigerator-freezer, say, a change to a left-hand door arrangement.With the known prior art refrigerator door hinging arrangements, thiswould necessitate a new refrigerator-freezer or a substantial andobviously impractical reconstruction. However, almost any desiredrearrangement of the door hinging can be readily obtained by theultimate user employing the present invention. All that is involved area few hand operations with a screw driver as indicated below. Thepresent invention thus comprehends an improved hinge system providingsubstantial selectivity of the door mounting arrangement in a novel andsimple manner. Thus, a principal feature of the present invention is theprovision of a new and improved reversible door mount hinge system.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of such a reversiblehinge system wherein the elements thereof are arranged to be selectivelylocated at right and left-hand positions corresponding to right andleft-hand door swinging arrangements in a new and improved manner.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of such a reversiblehinge ssytem wherein certain elements thereof are selectively disposableat the left top and bottim right of the door means and other elementsthereof are selectively disposable at the right top and bottom left ofthe door means, in the alternate arrangements of the system for left andright-hand swinging of the door.

A yet further feature of the invention is the provision of such areversible hinge system wherein a pair of doors are provided one abovethe other with one element of the hinge system being disposedintermediate the door and selectively mounted either at the left side orthe right side of the arrangement and providing a pivot connector means3,389,424 Patented June 25, 1968 for cooperation with pivot connectormeans of other ele. ments of the system for selectively mounting bothdoors for left or right-hand swinging.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of such a reversiblehinge system wherein new and improved means are associated with one ormore of the hinge elements for limiting the swinging of the doors.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary exploded view of a reversible hinge systemembodying the invention for mounting a door means on a cabinet wallmeans for left-hand swinging;

FIGURE 1a is a fragmentary exploded view of the hinge system of FIGURE1, showing the parts reversed for right-hand swinging;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic front elevation of the cabinet wall meansillustrating selective disposition of the hinge system elements on arefrigerator-freezer cabinet for mounting in alternate left (full line)and right (broken line) door swinging arrangements;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of one cooperating hinge butt and binge leafassembly of said hinge system with the assembly shown mounted on afragmentary portion of a door;

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation of the assembly of FIG- URE 3 with aportion broken away to facilitate illustration of the pivot means;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of another cooperating hinge butt and hingeleaf assembly of said hinge system with the assembly shown mounted on afragmentary portion of a door;

FIGURE 6 is an end elevation of the assembly of FIG- URE 5 with aportion broken away to facilitate illustration of the pivot means;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view thereof with the door on which the hingeleaf is carried swung to an open position predetermined by a limit meansassociated with the hinge assembly;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of another cooperating hingebutt and hinge leaf assembly of the hinge system as provided between thevertically related doors of the left portion of the cabinet wall meansof FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 9 is an end elevation of the hinge assembly of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary exploded view of a second embodiment of thehinge assembly provided between the vertically related doors of FIGURE2; and

FIGURES 11, 12, 13 and 14 are diagrammatic representations of arefrigerator-freezer, illustrating the various possible door hingingarrangements that may be selected when the invention is used.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in thedrawing, a cabinet defining: a wall means 10, shown in FIG. 2, defines afull length opening 11 and a pair of vertically related openings 12 and13 selectively closed respectively by a full length door 14 and a pairof short doors 15 and 16. The doors are swingably mounted on the wallmeans 10 by a reversible hinge system generally designated 17 wherebythe doors may be selectively swung either from the right-hand edges ofthe corresponding openings or the left-hand edges thereof. Morespecifically, the hinge system 17 permits door 14 to be selectivelyswung about a vertical axis at the right side 14a of the door 14 or theleft side 14!; thereof, the door 15 to be selectively swung about avertical axis at the right side 15a thereof or the left side 15bthereof, and the door 16 to be selectively swung about a vertical axisat the right side 16a thereof or left side 16b thereof. The doors 15 and16 must be hinged at the same side, either right side or left side asmay be selected.

The hinge system 17 includes a first hinge butt 18 (see FIGS. 1 and 2)which may be installed on the wall means at a left positioncorresponding to the left side 1411 of the door 14 above the topthereof, or in a right position corresponding to the right side 14a ofthe door above the top thereof. The hinge system further includes asecond hinge butt 19 which may be installed on the wall means 10 at aleft position corresponding to the left side 14b of the door below thebottom thereof or at a right position corresponding to the right side14a of the door below the bottom thereof. A first hinge leaf 20 isinstalled on the door 14 selectively at the top thereof on the left side14b of the door or at the bottom thereof at the right side 14a of thedoor. A second hinge leaf 21 is installed on the door 14 selectively atthe bottom thereof on the left side 14b of the door or at the topthereof at the right side 14a of the door.

The elements of hinge system 17 provided for mounting the small doorsand 16 including a third hinge butt 22 (see FIGS. 2 and 8) which may beinstalled on the wall means 10 at a left position corresponding to theleft sides 15b and 16b of the doors 15 and 16 respectively and betweenthe vertically spaced doors 15 and 16, or in a right positioncorresponding to the right sides 15a and 16a of the doors 15 and 16respectively between the vertically spaced doors. A hinge butt 23,identical to hinge butt 18, may be installed on the wall means 10 at aleft position corresponding to the left side 15b of the door 15 abovethe top thereof, or in a right position corresponding to the right side1511 of the door above the top thereof. The hinge system furtherincludes a hinge butt 24, identical to hinge butt 19, which may beinstalled on the wall means 10 at a left position corresponding to theleft side 16b of the door below the bottom thereof or at a rightposition corresponding to the right side 16a of the door below thebottom thereof. A first hinge leaf 25, similar to hinge leaf 18, isinstalled on the door 15 selectively at the top thereof on the left side15b of the door or at the bottom door 16 at the right side 16a thereof.A second hinge leaf 26 (FIG. 2), similar to hinge leaf 21, is installedon the door 16 selectively at the bottom thereof on the left side 16b orat the top door 15 at the right side 15a. Hinge leaf 25 is similar tohinge leaf and is rclated to the door means defined by the two doors 15and 16 in the same manner as hinge leaf 20 is related to the door 14 asdescribed in detail above. Similarly, hinge butt 24 is related to thewall means at the bottom of door 16 in the same manner as hinge butt 19is related to the wall means at the bottom of door 14. Hinge butt 23 isrelated to the wall means at the top of the door means defined by decor15 in the same manner as hinge leaf 20 is related to the wall means atthe top of door 14. Hinge leaf 26 is similar to hinge leaf 21 and isrelated to the door means defined 'by doors 15 and 16 in the same manneras hinge leaf 21 is related to the door 14. The illustration of thespecific structure of the hinge butt and hinge leaf elements in FIGURE 1is illustrative of each of these respective hinge butt and hinge leafelements. Therefore, in describing hinge butts 18 and 19, and hingeleaves 20 and 21 of FIGURE 1, it is to be understood that the samedescription is applicable to the hinge butts 23 and 24 and the hingeleaves 25 and 26.

More specifically, as shown in FIGURE 1, hinge butt 18 (and thus hingebutt 23) comprises a flat plate having a forward opening 18a in which isinstalled a suitable pivot bushing 18b. The rearward portion of thehinge butt 18 is provided with a plurality of screw holes 180. The hingebutt 18 is secured to the top wall 16a of the cabinet wall means 10 bysuitable screws 18d extending through a hinge cap 18a, holes 180 of thehinge butt 18 and a suitable shim 18 to space the opening 18a of thehinge butt forwardly of the wall means 10 to overlie the top 146 of thedoor 14. The hinge leaf 20 is secured to the door top by suitable screws26a extending through suitable openings 20b in the hinge leaf and a shim26c. The hinge leaf is further provided with a pivot connector pin 20dwhich, as shown in FIGURE 1, projects upwardly from the hinge leaf 20 tobe pivotally received in pivot bushing 18b in hole 18a of the hinge butt18.

Hinge butt 19 comprises an L-shaped plate having an outwardly extendingportion 19:: provided with a hole 191) in which is received a pivotbushing 19c, and a second hole 19a in which is received a pivot pin 29aof a swing control device generally designated 29. Pivot pin 29a isprovided on one end of a slide 29b having at its opposite end anelongated slot 290 slidably receiving a sleeve 29d carried on a screw29c threaded into a hole 21:: of the hinge leaf 21. The pivot pin 29amay be retained in hinge butt opening 19:! by a suitable retainer 29secured to the lower end of the pivot pin after it is extended throughthe hole 19d. Hinge butt 19 further includes an upright portion 19@provided with three screw holes 19f. Screws 19g extend through holes 19and shim 1911 into the front wall It'll) of the cabinet wall means 10.

Hinge leaf 21 is provided with a depending pivot pin 21b adapted to havepivotal reception in bushing 19c in hole 19b of hinge butt 19. The hingeleaf further includes a pair of screw holes 210, and a pair of screws21d extend upwardly through holes 21c and through a shim 212 into thebottom 14d of the door 14 to secure the hinge leaf thereto. The shim 21ais provided with a recess 21 in which is received a nut 29g for threadedengagement with the screw 29e.

Thus, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the hinge butt 18 which is mounted onthe top of the cabinet 10 above opening 11 effectively defines a pivotconnector means formed by the bushing 18b which is engageable from belowthe hinge butt 18, and the hinge leaf 20 defines a pivot connector meansformed by the pivot pin 20d, the pivot connector being pivotallyconnected as shown in FIGURE 4 to provide one cooperating hinge assembly17a of the hinge system 17 for left-hand mounting of the door 14 on thecabinet wall means 10.

As shown in FIGURES 5 through 7, the hinge butt 19 defines a pivotconnector means in the form of bushing 19c and the hinge leaf 21 definesa pivot connector means in the form of pivot pin 21b in a hinge assembly1711 of the hinge butt 19 and hinge leaf 21 providing the lefthandmounting of the door 14 on the cabinet wall means 10.

As indicated above and as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2, when it isdesired to mount the door 14 on the cabinet wall means 10 for right-handswinging, the hinge butt 18 is positioned at the right side 14a of thedoor, rather than the left side 1412 as shown in FIGURE 1. In sorepositioning the hinge butt 18, it is turned upside down and left forright and the bushing 18b is installed from below the invertedarrangement of the hinge butt. As further indicated above, in theright-hand installation, the hinge leaf 21 is installed on the top 140of the door 14 at the right side 14a thereof, with the pivot pin 21bextending upwardly to be received in the bushing 18b of the hinge butt18 to define a hinge assembly 170.

In the right-hand mounting of the door 14, the hinge butt 19 is moved tothe right position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2 subjacent the door14 at the right side 14a. The bushing 19c is installed in hole 19drather than hole 1%. The hinge leaf 20 is installed on the bottom 14d ofthe door 14 with the pivot pin 20d thereof extending downwardly into thethusly repositioned bushing 19c to define a hinge assembly 17d. Thus, inchanging the hinge assemblies from left-hand assemblies 17a and 17b torighthand assemblies and 17d, the hinge butt 18 is merely movedhorizontally from one side of the door to the other and turned upsidedown and left for right with the the bushing 18b being merely reinsertedto extend downwardly therefrom in either position. The hinge butt 19 ismoved horizontally from one side to the other with the bushing 19c beingmerely selectively disposed in either of the holes 19c or 19d; the hingeleaf 20 is moved concurrently from one side to the other and from onetop or bottom end of the door to the other while turning it upside downand left for right; and the other hinge leaf 21 is moved concurrentlyfrom one side to the other and from one top or bottom end of the door tothe other while turning it upside down and left for right.

As indicated briefly above, the hinge system 17 may include a swingcontrol means in the form of a slide 2915 which has one end slidablyconnected to the lower hinge leaf and the other end pivotally connectedto the lower hinge butt. Thus, as seen in FIGURE 6, the pivot pin 29aextends downwardly through the opening 19d of the hinge butt 19 and thesleeve 29d is secured to the hinge leaf 21 by the screw 29:: extendingupwardly therethrough and secured at is upper end by nut 29g. As shownin FIGURE 7, when the door 14 is swung to an open position over 90, andless than 180", from the closed position of FIG- URE 2, the sleeve 29dreaches the end of the slot 290 and limits further clockwise swinging ofthe door 14 thereby providing an automatic stop on the amount of swingof the door. The angle of swing may be varied by varying the length ofslot 29c. The angle of swing at which the door is stopped is selected toavoid interference between a door and projecting hardware such ashandles (not shown) on other doors.

In the right-hand assembly 17d, the pivot pin 29a is received in theleft-hand hole 19b of the hinge butt 19, and the screw 29c extendsupwardly through an opening 202 in hinge leaf 20 to secure the sleeve29d to the hinge leaf. The opening 20a is not used when hinge leaf 20 isin its upper position. Likewise, opening 21a is not used when hinge 21is in the upper position. Thus, the swing control device is selectivelymounted on the left or right hinge assemblies 17b or 17d for controllingthe swing of the door in either of the left and right-hand mountingsthereof.

In FIGURES 8 and 9, the center hinge assembly 17 includes the hinge butt22 which comprises a base plate 22a secured to the center mullion c ofthe cabinet wall means 10 between the openings 12 and 13 by suitablemeans such as screws 22b. The hinge butt 22 further includes a forwardlyprojecting web 22c carrying an upwardly projecting pivot pin 22d and adownwardly projecting pivot pin 22e coaxially aligned with pin 22d. Astop 22 is secured to the web 22c rearwardly of the pins 22d and 22c andincludes an upper stop portion 22g and a lower stop portion 22h disposedselectively above and below the level of the web 220. A hinge leaf 27 issecured to the bottom c of the upper door 15 by suitable screws 27a andis provided with an opening 27b pivotally receiving the upstanding pivotpin 22d. A wash er 22i may be disposed on the pivot pin 22d below thehinge leaf 27 to space the hinge leaf above the web 220. The washer maybe formed of a low friction material such as nylon to providefacilitated swinging of the door 15 thereon. A hinge leaf 28 issimilarly mounted on the depending pivot post 22a and is spaced belowweb 220 by a washer 22 The arrangement of the hinge butt 23 and bingeleaf 25 at the upper left-hand corner of door 15 defines hinge assembly17e (FIG. 2), the arrangement of the hinge butt 23 and the hinge leaf 26at the upper right-hand corner of the door 15 defines a hinge assembly17h, the arrangement of the hinge butt 24 and hinge leaf 26 at the lowerleft-hand corner of the door 16 defines a hinge assembly 17i, and thearrangement of the hinge butt 24 and hinge leaf 25 at the lowerright-hand corner of the door 16 defines a hinge assembly 17j. Assembly17e corresponds to assembly 17a, assembly 1711 corresponds to assembly17c, assembly 171' corresponds to assembly 17b without the swing controlmeans, and assembly 17 corresponds t assembly 17d without the swingcontrol means. Thus, the description of the selective mounting of thesehinge assemblies, described relative to door 14, is similarly pertinentto the selective mounting of the hinge assemblies at the top and bottomof doors 15 and 16.

The selective mounting of the hinge butt 22 and associated hinge leaves27 and 28 requires merely the movement of the hinge butt 22 selectivelyto the right or left side while turning it upside down and left forright in the right-hand position as compared to the left-hand position.Thus, in the right-hand position, the pivot pin 222 extends upwardly andthe pivot pin 22d extends downwardly. The hinge leaf 27 in theright-hand position is turned upside down and left for right and securedto the top of door 16 at the right-hand side 16a thereof and the hingleleaf 28 is turned upside down and left for right and secured to thebottom of the door 15 at the right side 15a thereof to form the hingeassembly 17g.

The stops 22g and 22h limit the swing of the doors 15 and 16 by theengagement of the hinge leaves of assemblies 17 f and 17g therewith inthe maximum open swung position as illustrated in FIGURE 8 relative todoor 16.

Thus, the hinge system 17 comprises a number of hinge assemblies made upof a small number of different forms of hinge butt and hinge leafstructures which are selectively disposable at the left and right-handsides of the respective doors for facilitated reversibility of themounting thereof. The hinge system elements are extremely simple andeconomical of construction and may be readily installed in therespective different positions permitting facilitated selectivity ofthedoor swinging arrangement as desired by the retailer as well as bythe user, thereby effectively minimizing inventory requirements andpermitting ready changing of the door swing to obtain almost anydesire-d arrangement. By minimizing the number of different parts, thecost of the hinge system is further effectively minimized.

Either of the center hinge assemblies 17 (FIGURES 2 and 8) and 17g(FIGURE 2) may be replaced by a hinge assembly having swing limitingmeans incorporating swing control device 29, described above. As shownin FIGURE 10, the hinge butt 39 of the alternate embodiment, illustratedin full line in a left-hand arrangement, is similar to hinge butt 19.The hinge leaf 40 for the top of door 16 is a similar to hinge leaf 20,and the hinge leaf 41 for the bottom of door 15 is similar to hinge leaf21. Parts associated with the hinge leaves 40 and 41 which are similarto parts associated with hinge leaves 20 and 21 have been numbered 40 or41 with appropriate corresponding letter sufiixes. The pivot pin 40d ofone of the hinge leaves 40 is in the form of a cylinder for receivingthe pivot pin 41b of the other hinge leaf. The swing limiting device- 29is associated with the hinge butt and the hinge leaf of the upper door15 since the lower door 16 has an identical swing limiting means (notshown in FIGURE 10) associated with its lower hinge assembly asdescribed above.

If the hinge assembly is reversed, the hinge butt 39 is moved laterallyfrom one side of the door to the other and inverted, the hinge leaf 40of door 16 is moved to door 15 and the hinge leaf 41 of door 15 is movedto door 16. The swing limiting device is transferred to the hingeassociated with door 15 in the same manner as was device 29 in hingeassemblies 17b and 17d.

With the modified center hinge assembly the hinge assemblies 17e, 17h,171' and 17j are identical to hinge assemblies 17a, 17c, 17b and 17d,respectively.

Various door mounting arrangements which can be obtained using the hingesystem of this invention are shown in FIGURES 11 through 14. FIGURE 11illustrates door 14 hinged at the right side of cabinet 10 and doors 15and 16 hinged on the left side of the cabinet. FIGURE 12 ilustrates thedoors hinged in an oppositemanner to that shown in FIGURE 11. FIGURE 13illustrates the doors hinged at the left side of their respectivecompartments and FIGURE 14 illustrates the doors hinged at the rightside of their respective compartments. Let us assume that the buyer ofthe refrigerator-freezer purchases a refrigerator-freezer unit utilizingthe left door hinging arrange ment illustrated in full line in FIG. 2,and in FIG. 13. \Vith the present invention he can readily change to anyof the hinging arrangements shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 14 at anytime andwithout additional parts or reconstruction as described above.

While I have shown and described two embodiments 'of my invention, it isto be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes,therefore, in the construction and arrangement, may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in theappended cliams.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a refrigerator structure having wall means defining opening means,and having door means, a reversible hinge system for mounting said doormeans on said wall means for selectively left or right-hand swinging ofsaid door means relative to said opening means, comprising:

a first hinge butt defining a first pivot connector means; means formounting said first hinge butt on said wall means at said openingselectively at a left position or a right position correspondingrespectively to the left and right sides of said door means above thetop thereof with said first pivot means being pivotally engageable frombelow;

a second hinge butt provided with a second pivot connector means;

means for mounting said second hinge butt on said wall means at saidopening means at a left position or a right position corresponding tothat in which said first hinge butt is mounted to the left or right sideof said door means and below the bottom thereof with said second pivotconnector means being pivotally engageable from above;

a first hinge leaf having a third pivot connector means; means formounting said first hinge leaf on said door means at the left topthereof with said third pivot connector means thereof having pivotalengagement with the pivot connect-or means of said first hinge butt orat the right bottom of said door means with said third pivot connectormeans having pivotal engagement with the pivot connector means of saidsecond hinge butt; a second hinge leaf having a fourth pivot connectormeans; and

means for mounting said second hinge leaf on said door means at the leftbottom thereof with said fourth pivot connector means having pivotalengagement with the pivot connector means of said second hinge butt orat the right top of said door means with said fourth pivot connectormeans having pivotal engagement with the pivot connector means of saidfirst hinge butt.

2. The refrigerator structure of claim 1 wherein two of said pivotconnector means comprises pivot pins and the other two of said pivotconnector means comprise female pivot pin connectors.

3. The refrigerator structure of claim 1 wherein said first hinge buttis mounted on said wall means at said left position upside down relativeto its mounting on said wall means at said right position.

4. The refrigerator structure of claim 1 wherein swing limiting meansare provided in said hinge system for limiting the swing of said dooraway from said wall means to less than 180.

5. The refrigerator structure of claim 4 wherein said second pivotconnector means and said swing limiting means are interchangeablypositionable on said second hinge butt for selective use thereof in saidleft and right positions of the mounting of said second hinge butt.

6. The refrigerator structure of claim 1 wherein said opening meanscomprises a pair of vertically spaced openings, said door means includesa pair of doors selectively closing said pair of openings, and saidhinge system further includes:

a third hinge butt provided with a fifth pivot connector means;

means for mountin said third hinge butt on said Wall means between saidspaced openings selectively at a left position or a right positioncorresponding to the left and right sides of said door means with saidfifth pivot connector means being pivotally engageable from above andbelow;

a third hinge leaf having a sixth pivot connector means;

means for mounting said third hinge leaf on the lower of said pair ofdoors selectively at the left top thereof with said sixth pivotconnector means thereof having pivotal engagement with said fifth pivotconnector means, or at the bottom right of the upper of said pair ofdoors with said sixth pivot connector means thereof having pivotalengagement with said fifth pivot connector means;

a fourth hinge leaf having a seventh pivot connector means; and

means for mounting said fourth hinge leaf on the upper of said pair ofdoors selectively at the left bottom thereof with said seventh pivotconnector means thereof having pivotal engagement with said fifth pivotconnector means, or at the right top of the lower of said pair of doorswith said seventh pivot connector means thereof having a pivotalengagement with said fifth pivot connector means.

7. The refrigerator structure of claim 6 wherein the pivot connectormeans of said third hinge butt comprises an upwardly projecting pin anda downwardly projecting pin.

8. The hinge system of claim 6 wherein said third hinge butt furtherincludes means for limiting the swing of at least one of said doors awayfrom said wall means to less than 180.

9. The hinge structure of claim 6 wherein said third hinge butt ismounted on said wall means at said right position upside down relativeto its mounting on said wall means at said left position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,067,559 1/1937 Bloom 1619l2,738,543 3/1956 Van Meter 16-149 2,920,341 1/1960 Amstutz 1619l3,300,900 1/1967 Risk et al. 49-382 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A REFRIGERATOR STRUCTURE HAVING WALL MEANS DEFINING OPENING MEANS,AND HAVING DOOR MEANS, A REVERSIBLE HINGE SYSTEM FOR MOUNTING SAID DOORMEANS ON SAID WALL MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY LEFT OR RIGHT-HAND SWINGING OFSAID DOOR MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID OPENING MEANS, COMPRISING: A FIRSTHINGE BUTT DEFINING A FIRST PIVOT CONNECTOR MEANS; MEANS FOR MOUNTINGSAID FIRST HINGE BUTT ON SAID WALL MEANS AT SAID OPENING SELECTIVELY ATA LEFT POSITION OR A RIGHT POSITION CORRESPONDING RESPECTIVELY TO THELEFT AND RIGHT SIDES OF SAID DOOR MEANS ABOVE THE TOP THEREOF WITH SAIDFIRST PIVOT MEANS BEING PIVOTALLY ENGAGEABLE FROM BELOW; A SECOND HINGEBUTT PROVIDED WITH A SECOND PIVOT CONNECTOR MEANS; MEANS FOR MOUNTINGSAID SECOND HINGE BUTT ON SAID WALL MEANS AT SAID OPENING MEANS AT ALEFT POSITION OR A RIGHT POSITION CORRESPONDING TO THAT IN WHICH SAIDFIRST HINGE BUTT IS MOUNTED TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT SIDE OF SAID DOOR MEANSAND BELOW THE BOTTOM THEREOF WITH SAID SECOND PIVOT CONNECTOR MEANSBEING PIVOTALLY ENGAGEABLE FROM ABOVE; A FIRST HINGE LEAF HAVING A THIRDPIVOT CONNECTOR MEANS; MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID FIRST HINGE LEAF ON SAIDDOOR MEANS AT THE LEFT TOP THEREOF WITH SAID THIRD PIVOT CONNECTOR MEANSTHEREOF HAVING PIVOTAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PIVOT CONNECTOR MEANS OF SAIDFIRST HINGE BUTT OR AT THE RIGHT BOTTOM OF SAID DOOR MEANS WITH SAIDTHIRD PIVOT CONNECTOR MEANS HAVING PIVOTAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PIVOTCONNECTOR MEANS OF SAID SECOND HINGE BUTT; A SECOND HINGE LEAF HAVING AWFOURTH PIVOT CONNECTOR MEANS; AND